the quest of the zhiah parts 9 to 16
by dragons mirth
Summary: a group of neopets fight to save neopia


The Quest Of The Zhiah-Part Thirteen-Prisoners  
  
Zachira circled them fearlessly, taunting. "you betrayed us, Rako. im sure you remember youre job as a spy before you became a goodygoody. what happend? got scared? lequa frighten you off?"  
  
"ive told you once, ill flatten you if you dont stop that" Rako snarled, bunching up.  
  
"banker told me you ran off with your tale between your legs and a load of amateurs to try and catch the daughter of zarren" she continued. "your demotion seemed to dishearten you a little. what happend to good old tough rako?"  
  
Rako could stand it no longer. scraping the ground with his claws, he leapt catlike through the air and knocked Zachira down. he swiped her across the face , leaving three red scores. his teeth went down for the bite when she reached up and hauled him off her. her long feet aimed a kick but he dodged and pulled her down by her leg. they saw his teeth sink in and winced.  
  
the black lupes moved in to help Zachira but Liothe warned them off and stood square, a barrier between them.  
  
rako was by now far winning. zachiras leg injury made her drag her leg and she could only swipe at him with her long fingers. she caught him across the nose and left a stinging blow there. scrabbling round her shoulder, she drew out a long sharp sword. rako drew back, unsure.   
  
Zachira laughed evilly and swung the blade dangerousy close to Dorgon. rako growled but couldnt get nearer or the blade would get him. he was just sure that his time would end when a blur of fire just like his coat leapt into the ditch and knocked zachira down.  
  
"banker?" rako recognised the bristling warlupe easily. he was the biggest and heaviest creature he knew of, with strength he wasnt afraid to use.  
  
banker turned to zachira."  
  
"what were you doing?" he said. "the orders were not to harm anyone!"   
  
"blame the lupe!" she shreiked. "he leapt on top of me. it was self defence!"  
  
"get out of my sight. we'll deal with this" he said confidently. a pack of blue gelerts were coming over the ridge into the ditch . he swiveled round to talk to them. he kept hisvoice down but even then everyone heard, and it wasnt good.  
  
"take The lupe and the shoyru back to the lequa. the lupe has unifnished buisness there and the shpyru will do as a messenger of the lequa. the uni and the Aisha go to the attic, right? and get rid of the peophin and kougra, theyre no use to anyone."  
  
Velmon began to panic then. "dont let them get me!" he whispered urgently. liothe looke disturbed abd called to banker.  
  
"i have a proposition for you" he said. "we come without a struggle, our promise on our life, as long as the peophin comes with us."  
  
banker laughed scornfully. "very well. he can be our entertainer. keep us amused. over here then, you three" he called. rako said something quietly to liothe and dorgon and then left with banker and a few lupes.   
  
"another promise" dorgon spoke desperately , looking at the despairing wysem. "the kougra can come with us, it will not do to have innocent creatures killed in cold blood for the sake of convinience."  
  
the lupes didnt seem to care one way or another and the three others were herded away from their freinds. they were split up now, hope was fading. dorgon clutched her necklace and prayed her mother would help. she felt its glowing warmth strike up.  
  
"do not despair, my young one. your destiny is set" she said, then her voice faded. another, old thick voice took over. it was the brain tree.  
  
"you cannot change what happens. what is for you to decide is what to do when the time is upon you"  
  
she tried to cling on but the voices left her. she knew the brain tree was right. there was no point wishing that they hadnt been captured, all she had to do now was try to escape.  
  
they were led over miled of rough land that didnt loolk like the thriving prime zone. it looked neglected and barren.  
  
the trees were scraggly and leafless , the ground sandy and beaten. any dips that migth have been a river were dusty ruts . dorgon was tripping constantly and once got a mouthful of sand. before she had even spat it all out the lupes were dragging her to her feet and pulling her along. she choked on it and nearly suffocated. it was getting dark and the breeze that was blowing was swirling the sand round into their eyes.  
  
Wysem was terrrified. having lived all her life in the realm of light or neopai, she didnt know how to behave in a situation like this.  
  
marian was calm and composed as always. she walked steadily with her eyes closed , never stumbling and the whirling sand didnt seem to bother her. dorgon knew she was trying to contact someone, most probably her father, and was desperatley peering round to see if she'd had any sucess.   
  
they were lead on in silence apart from the howling wind and it was getting hard to walk. dorgon didnt know what had happend to get the prime zone into this state , but it had to be bad.  
  
when it began to be impossible to get anywhere, the lupes led them into a shabby falling-apart shelter made of corrugated iron peices shoved into the ground with blue tarpauline flapping on top. it was cramped inside with all three of them and one lupe blocking the door, bit it didnt make it warmer. the wind was still whipping at her mane and she was numb all over from sandburn.  
  
it was hours into the night before the lupes settled, and dorgon felt safe to clutch the diamond and call upon her mother.  
  
"mother"she whispered urgently, "i need to talk to the king of light aishas, mother. im in a terrible positon and if we cant get back to rako, Liothe and velmon soon i dont know if i can do this in time"  
  
"do not panic. the king of aishas shall be in the prime zone by dawn with help. your freinds are safe and well for the moment, but they are headed in the opposite direction to you across the boglands. if you wait for the aisha king to arrive you will not reach them until they are at the lequas abode, and you will as likely be imprisoned or disposed of. should you head straight onto the cells where you are headed , you will find someone in need who will help you greatly in return. if you wish to travel with speed, wake the others quietly now and leave, the lupes will not wake, but you will not know the way and the lupes will be after you fast by dawn. go fast, go light, take only necesities, and share them betweeen you. good luck, dorgon"  
  
dorgon took her mothers advice and packed a few needs. she woke marian and wysem, and they carefully stepped over the lupes and stole away into the night.  
  
"run!" dorgon hissed, and the small part began to run. wysem, marian and dorgon, all running on two legs, began to sprint through the windy, sandy dark following the lead the lupes had headed earlier. they ran until the rythem of it blocked out the sound off the howling gale and stinging sands. all dorgon could hear was the thud of her hooves beating the ground, and wysem and marians paws thumping away. her breath came in short gasps and she remembered running round the entire neolodge to find velmon after he had fallen from the ledge. that seemed harmless compared to this.  
  
"keep running" she spluttered, coughing and stumbling. wysem had streaked ahead, being the most adapted to running on unevam surfaces, and even marian could set a could pace, being light and streamline. but with her hooves and long legs, dorgon found it heavy going to keep the speed in her running.  
  
she was still stumbling along, heaving and gasping, when a small streak of light began to work its way across the sky.  
  
The Quest Of The Zhiah-Part Fourteen-The Zhiah In Form  
  
"i have to stop" dorgon murmered to the other two, her eyes closing with exaustion from the run.  
  
" we cant" wysem insisted, jogging on steadily. "those lupes will be up now its light, and they'll be running a lot faster than we did"  
  
"ill die" dorgon threatened, wheezing in her effort to get air. "i could just drop down and never get up"  
  
"if you stop now, you wont be able to run again" marian warned, running along nimbly. "if its any help i can do a spell to help you go faster, though it wont help a stitch or heavy breathing" she warned.  
  
"try it " dorgon replied.  
  
Marian closed her eyes and muttered beneath her breath. dorgon didnt feel the pain let up but she began to glide along more easily and faster. she was keeping up with wysem now, who had been running like a jackel all night.  
  
they carried on running like madpeople even though the lupes would be far behind.   
  
after some time, a small wobbly figure came into veiw in the distance.   
  
* * * *  
  
Rako, Liothe and velmon were having a tough time. the bogland was deep in thick slippy mud and sucked at their feet when they took a step. it was exausting and even though everyone felt ready to drop down after a whole night of it , banker made them carry on. he himself had to be having trouble with the mud, rako thought, or he would have been taunting him, telling him every detail of his plan. because that was what banker did.  
  
rako was dreading meeting the lequa again and feared the worst for velmon. while liothe would not be wasted for his strength, he would be put into the army of the lequa, and train to kill neopians. rao shuddered at the thought. why had he ever worked for such a tyrant?  
  
velmon stumbld and nearly fell over next to him. it was impossible to carry on much longer. they had to stop.  
  
"i dont know how much more of this i can take" velmon moaned to him. "how will we stop the lequa now? we dont even know where Dorgon, Marian and wysem are"  
  
"they'll be safe so long as they dont split up" rako assured him. "and im pretty sure that if they got away then Marian will be able to call upon her father for help"  
  
"i hope youre right" velmon mumbled. he was tired enough to drop down and not get up again.  
  
Liothe had been very quiet all through the boglands. rako had guessed he was saving energy, but in reality, he was wondering if a plan he had thought of could get them all out of bankers grasp. it was possible, he decided.  
  
he knew he was a big shoyru, well trained and very strong. he could carry velmon in flight easily. rako would be heavier, but once they were out of the boglands, they could all run. all he needed to do was to carry them back to dry land. it couldnt be too far, they couldnt have made much progress in this mud.  
  
it was definately possible, he knew. in fact, it was going to happen. right now.  
  
heaving his leg out the mud, he beat his wings furiously. he began to lift out the bog and as soon as the sticky mess let go of his foot he soared up into the sky.  
  
"whats happening!" demanded banker. "who let him do that!"  
  
the gelerts watched the sky, unsure. the big red shoyru could dive at any time and flatten them easily with his weight.  
  
suddenly, liothe dropped like a stone and came plummeting towards velmon. his long claws fastens around him and he flew off away, circling again.  
  
"Hold the lupe down!" banker yelled furiously. "he musnt get away!"   
  
the gelerts ran towards him but retreated when they saw liothe diving down towards them again. this time, he had hold of rako, and was flying low over the mud, flapping hard.  
  
"Stop them ! after them! " rako was raging, but the gelerts were unsure now and backing off.  
  
Liothe circled and dived one last time. this time, he went towards banker, and knocked him flat into the mud.  
  
the gelerts couldnt help but snigger, and when banker heard them he leapt up and tore the neaest one's shoulder.   
  
"ill tear you all to peices! ill show you not to obey me!" he lunged again and took another to the ground. his teeth went down to the neck and then the gelert lay there, lifeless.  
  
the others watched in horror and their seething master and began to run away. the one with the torn shoulder could only limp and rako looked away , cringing as he heard the lupe suffer the same unlucky fate as the other.  
  
"wow" they were some distance away now. " that was lucky"  
  
"it certainly was" liothe gasped. "did i mention you are the heaviest thing i have ever known?  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
"who is it?"   
  
Dorgon, Marian and wysem were scrutinizing the horizen where the figure was approaching. he walked on his back legs, and was poorly clad in ripped rags. he limped, as if his leg was injured, and after a while he collapsed in the sand.  
  
"quick! lets go see !" wysem said, and started off running again.   
  
"does she never get tired of running?" dorgon groaned. she tried to go forward and grimaced.  
  
"we must see who it is" Marian followed.  
  
as they got nearer they saw it to be an aisha, weatherbeaten and lost. he was too parched to speak and just mouthed at them.  
  
"whoever it is , theyre in a bad way"  
  
"we're in no place to help him" Marian reminded her.  
  
the stranger seemed to have found his voice.  
  
"i am sorry for everything i ever did"  
  
they all looked at each other quizically. whatever was he on about?  
  
"i have failed you all"  
  
"now look here" said no-nonsense wysem. "i dont know who you are or what youve done, but ive learnt recently that as long as youre truly sorry people will forgive and accept."  
  
"but you dont understand" he wailed. "its all my fault, and now all is lost"  
  
"no, its not" dorgon said passioantely. "you can come with us, we're on the way to see the zhiah, he can help"   
  
"no, no, no. The spies of the lequa took me..trapped me in the form of an aisha..now i am no good to anyone. and my prime zone, my beautiful home, a wrecked desert"  
  
dorgon understood now. she wasnt sure she liked it.  
  
"you mean...you are the zhiah?"  
  
"in those four words, i am the zhiah" he said pitiously . "now all lies in jeapordy, because of my stupidity. how could i? and look at you! young strong neopians loyal enough to seek me out and save our home, im not worthy of you"  
  
"but zhiah, i dont understand" marian said. "what has happened?"  
  
he looked at her fondly. "it has been a long time since a princess of the light zone has walked here" he paused. "come, i shall explain all. but beleive me, it s a bad picture"  
  
they followed the aisha to a battered old shelter. it was made of a concrete hump that barely rose out the ground. it had been dug into the sand, and once in there, under surface level, they were safe from the wind and the sand.   
  
one after the other, they slipped down into the little place and huddled up in the dim light of a lantern. there the zhiah unravelled his story.  
  
The quest of the zhiah-part fifteen-reunion  
  
"when the spies took neopia, they were here as well. they have now captured all of the lower lands except for the light realm, for in there only goodness and purity lives, and it would destroy them. the land is becoming like it is here, barren and lonely, no more than a desert.  
  
they marched straight up to my palace, and there i was, in my original form, like a grand eyrie. there were too many for me to handle, even with my power, and they were protected by a force of the lequa. i dont know how many piled in but one was larger and stronger, and he held a glass jar. he was speaking a magic spell which turned me to this aisha and trapped me in the glass. i broke free but i have no idea now how to save my neopia"  
  
he looked at the end of his tether. marian and wysem were devastated. but dorgon was excited about something.  
  
"there is a way, though" she told him. "if i could access the crystal of bellmonte, i would be able to get to the land of dreams and there his life ring would be! with all evil banished from the world, the great beings would wake up from their spell and cherish the hall of souls once more! i know it would work-all i need is the crystal!"  
  
he looked at her closely at this point. "you?" he questioned. "you are the chosen one?"  
  
"yes" she said."i can help neopia, all i need is someone to show me the way"  
  
the zhiah didnt answer . his eyes were fixed on her necklace.  
  
"you are daughter of zarren, are you not?"  
  
dorgon nodded.  
  
"and she was the most noble of all creatures to live. she if anyone will know where it is. you must speak with her, dorgon. she can tell you the way"  
  
* * *  
  
liothe felt that his legs would quite literally drop off if he had to hang onto rako or velmon any longer. the bogland stretched out for miles and they had made good progress but therre was no sign of the mud leeting up yet.   
  
"im gonna have to go down soon" he warned them.  
  
"youll have to hang on for a about ten minutes" rako replied. " we'll be out of here soon"  
  
liothe braced himself and forced the next few minutes of flying. when he opend his eyes , the mud was drying out and sandy dunes were taking over.  
  
"wow" gaped liothe, slowly circling down until rako and velmon leapt off. with the dragging weight finally removed, liothe shot up unexpectedly, then dropped down.  
  
the sand burnt his feet and h hopped about painfully.  
  
"ow! how are we going to find dorgon and the other two when we cant even walk?"   
  
velmon gingerly stepped out of a shadow he was standing on and yelped.  
  
"youch! this isnt good" he agreed, leaping back onto the cool shadowed sand.  
  
rako pawed at the sand with his thick worn pads.   
  
"its not so bad" he said. "velmon, you ride on my back, liothe can fly. come on, we have to go fast-dorgon could be anywhere by now"   
  
the travel began again, with the three going at top speed across the plain. the hot sun beat down upon them as they raced on.  
  
velmon bent low and hung on to rakos thick blalck and red fur. he took a glance at the sky ans started when he saw it.  
  
there, in the sky, was the black sun.   
  
"why is the black sun in the prime zone?" velmon called to liothe, who was also gazing at the sky.  
  
"the spies are here-they have called upon it to destroy the rich land with its unbearable heat" he called back.  
  
in spite of the horrible black sun glaring down velmon began to shiver and huddled down deeeper into rakos fur.  
  
it seemed a long silence as they ran for hours across the prime zone. liothe felt the weariness of his beating wings and wished desparetly they could finish this soon.  
  
finally, the sun was beginning to cool but not set. they eased up the pace and there in front of them was a small mound. it was a little shelter dug out of the ground, topped with a concrete dome.  
  
"we'd better go in-theres no smell of gelert and we need shelter from the wind "  
  
"check before we leap in there" liothe reminded them warily.  
  
rako sniffed round the dome, blowing the sand away and skimming of the top layer of sand for buried prints. there was nothing to be afraid of and he edged towards the entrance, still checking for scent .  
  
"just go in, for goodness sake, rako" velmon was impatient to be out of the weather.  
  
rako put one paw in and scuffled at the sand. there were no voices and he could hear no breathing.flattening himself to the flor, he poked his nose through. his snout slid in and he looked around the small shelter.  
  
rako knew that when dorgon had escaped-if she had-she would most likely be heading back towards the bogs. they hadnt met them today and wernt expecting to.   
  
so when he pushed his front body through and saw dorgon, marian, wysem and another aisha, he was surprised to say the least.  
  
"what on earth are you doing here?" he gasped, pushing his powerful hind legs through the gap and sliding down to join them.  
  
"we escaped the lueps and gelerts" dorgon told him, hugging her old freind velmon as he made his way down. liothe follwed and soon the little shelter was very cramped.  
  
"i dont see how you managed to get so far back" liothe replied. "we had made our way nearly through the entire bog and had to fly all the way back here"  
  
"you flew?" dorgon looked at rako, wondering if he had something he wasnt telling.  
  
"no"rako laughed at the bizzare idea. "liothe did us a favour and gave us a lift"  
  
"and now my legs are dropping off from exaustion" he complained.  
  
they all laughed, feeling the releif that they were back together. dorgon was talking earnestly with the stranger aisha, velmon gave wysem a detailed account of how they escaped bankers terrible crew, while liothe and rako sat back and rested their weary eyes. soon the passed into a shallow sleep, followed by velmon, wysem, Marian , and finally dorgon.  
  
the gentle breeze blew about the shelter but didn ot venture inside, it merely whispered and flew off.  
  
dorgon awoke in the early hours of the morning and remembered what the zhiah had said to her.   
  
only her mother could tell her the way.  
  
she crept slowly and quietly over her sleeping freinds, and outside into the now dark dusty dead heat of the night.  
  
her necklace hung on her neck . she held it tight and looked to the shining stars. they all looked so different in the prime zone. she suddenly longed for the old neopian stars, and her home on the uni meadows.   
  
she whispered her mothers name.  
  
for a while the sky shivered and did nothing, but dorgon could see a mass of fluffy dazzling white clouds moving over from the north. they shone down so that the light caught on her dark face and glanced across her mane.   
  
it began to take shape, moulding itself elagantly into the fine legs of zarren, her detailed face, flowing mane and long tail.  
  
"mother " she said . smiling at the cloud. she had become accustomed to talking to her dead mother in strange ways now, and found it comforting.  
  
the cloud began to move off across the sky in another direction. dorgon understood. she and her freinds had come a long way, but from now on she was alone. without a word she followed her mother across the sandy dunes.  
  
the quest of the zhiah-part sixteen-follow the cloud  
  
dorgon followed her relentlessly moving mother through the night. often she would glance back and look at the litttle mound where she had reunited with her freinds. she might never see them again.  
  
wiping a tear away, she ran faster after the brilliant shining cloud. it was leading her to the crystal of bellmonte , she was sure. all she had to do now was follow it closely.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
when rako and liothe woke, they knew instinctively that something was up.   
  
"i have such a bad, bad feeling " rako confessed as they poked their noses out and checked outside for lupes.  
  
"i know what you mean. somethings definately not right." Liothe agreed  
  
"we'd better ask dorgon" rako mused , ducking back into the shelter. his eyes passed over the sleeping creatures until they met the empty space beside velmon, where dorgon had last been sleeping.  
  
"oh no! where on earth has she gone?" rako panicked, leaping back outside, sniffing at the dry sand. it was too hot and crumbly to have set any fottprints in it.  
  
"no-one can have taken her" liothe assured him. " they would have woken us"  
  
"they would have taken us" rako reminded him.  
  
they looked in all directions across the plains. it was still the early hours of the morning, and the sky was dark.  
  
towards the west, an unnatural brightness was shining.  
  
"we have to follow it. it must be something to do with her" rako was determined. he had not forgotten what the brain tree had told them, it was his duty to fight down any who oposed them. he had to be there to help her. it was also liothe's duty to protect her. he would have to come too.  
  
"what about the others?" liothe was hesitant.  
  
"they'll be alright ; they've got the zhiah with them" he said confidently.  
  
so the two began another race across the plains. only this time it was urgent, anything could have got dorgon. she could be in danger.   
  
as they ran, the black sun was rising up behind them. they were running out of time. the land couldnt withstand much more of its cruel heat.  
  
"we have to hurry!" gasped rako as he fought the dead still heat . he seemed to be running through water, the air was thick.  
  
"whats happening?" liothe could no longer keep in flight. everything was so much effort. his wings couldnt beat through the air, he was losing height rapidly.  
  
rako wasnt doing much better. liothe could see him slowly force himself onward.  
  
the black sun raced up behind them, faster than any sun should ever rise. it was full in the sky when there was a humungous roar of thunder and a bolt of lightening struck down beside them.  
  
rako gave up the fight and lay down, heaving in an effort to breathe. liothe was gliding down slowly looking drowzsy.  
  
the great figure that had appeared by them was a large, heavy midnight black eyrie. he spread his wings out above them, shading them from the hard solid hot air.  
  
"it is useless to fight the heat of the black sun" he snarled, as rako struggled up to his feet. "you only wear yourself out uslesslessy. "  
  
Liothe had landed, and fell in a heap. rako tried to move towards him .  
  
the eyrie opened a gap in his wings. the scorching heat fell through and caught rako like a blow and sent him to the ground.  
  
the eyrie closed the gap again.  
  
"you've done very well, i must say, to get this far. however you're little operation is pathetic. ive been very kind so far. all ive done is burn up the prime zone. i havent started destroyung your world yet, but if you annoy me..." he trailed off and revealed a small jar of water. pouring it onto the sand, he stepped back and waited until it took effect.  
  
the water turned a sharp silver like a mirror, and then began to show them pictures of neopia as they knew it. green hills, deep blue water, endless sky, happy neopian's abou their daily routine.  
  
then he dropped a single feather in. the picture turned dark red . the green hills began to wither and turn to rocky scrags of mountain. the water dried up and left . the sky was tinted blood red with constant thick black cloud moving across, but no rain fell.  
  
"this is the destiny for your home, should you not tell me what i ask. i need one answer. "  
  
liothe looked at rako. this was bad.  
  
"i need to know where youre little frend the uni is" he cackled. "you see, she has a little something extra that i would find extremly useful in completing my plan"  
  
"i can answer you honestly here"liothe spoke up. " we do not know of dorgons wherabouts. we were looking for her ourselves"  
  
the eyrie looked darkly down at them. " i see the truth in you. how this pleases me! i now know she is alone, and unaided by her freinds strength, she will soon fall under my powers! "  
  
he swirled his cloak round, and disapeared as suddenly as hed come. by now they had become used to the heat of the black sun.  
  
"you know what we've gotta do?" rako asked his dependable freind.  
  
"yes" the looked back at the bright cloud.   
  
"RUN!"  
  
"RUN!"  
  
and they ran.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
Dorgon had made good progress. she had followed the cloud constantly throughout night and day, and ahead of her she could see a large building , made of sparkly white sand. i was a way off yet though.  
  
"is that where the crystal of bellemonte is ? " she asked her mother.  
  
"yes" was the whispered reply.  
  
Dorgon tingled with the possibilty of ending the fear soon. they were nearly there!  
  
* * *  
  
wysem, marian , velmon and the zhiah were aghast when they awoke to find three of the group missing.  
  
"dorgon!" velmon yelled, jumping up.   
  
"dorgon? rako? Liothe!" wysem called all their names desperatley.  
  
"stop yelling!" zhiah warned them. " a great evil is passing! get down!"  
  
the four stopped talking and flung themselves on the sand, shuddering. the cold crept down and swirled round them like a hurricane. the sky momerentily went dark red. blood red.  
  
then it passed.  
  
"that was the lequa! oh help us!" zhiah squealed. "i am useless! in this body there is nothing i can do to help out freind dorgon. Curse you, lequa! curse you!"  
  
as he said this, a silvery tear dropped down by his feet. it turned into a diamond much like dorgons, only in the shape of a star.  
  
"the star of Nyrubi! " marian breathed . "zhiah, you are saved!"  
  
"i dotn understand" he said. "how can the star if nyrubi help me?"  
  
"it can restore a soul to its former being" velmon recited from the old tales.   
  
"you mean-it can help me?" zhiah stuttered, unsure.  
  
"yes!" marian cried. "kneel down, i can help you, i know aincent magic"  
  
marian waved the star above his shoulders and mutterd an old forgotten poem not used in centuries. the zhiah in the form of an aisha began to fade, and in his place a large grand white eyrie appeared.  
  
"wow!" velmon gasped. "just like the lequa, but white!"  
  
"yes" zhiah replied. "now hurry, dorgon needs us"  
  
the exited the shelter that had served them for their reunion and headed into the sand.  
  
" i can carry you" zhiah said. "we'll travel faster"  
  
they leapt upon the snowy white back of the zhiah and soared across the sand, faster than even the black sun could travel. 


End file.
